WIDE APPEAL: Gold Mettle isn’t simply an athlete’s memoir. It is a deeply personal, rich, emotional and rewarding family story about a mother and daughter who, together, overcome obstacles and build a life for themselves. Perdita’s memoir is not just for her existing base: with its themes of immigration and marginalization, domestic violence and poverty, it is a book that will reach a wide audience. It will appeal to readers of family memoirs by authors like Trevor Noah, Plum Johnson, Camilla Gibb, Katie Hafner and more.

LITERARY APLOMB: Perdita is best known for being a world-class athlete—but she’s a beautiful, lyrical writer too! She tells her story in a way that is personal and raw, affecting and inspiring. We hope to see Gold Mettle on prize lists.

RISING STAR: Perdita Felicien is the host of a reality competition show, All-Round Champion, which aired on TVO (Canada) and BYUtv (US) in February 2020. She will also have a central role in covering the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for the CBC.

MEDIAGENIC: Perdita is a dynamic and engaging speaker who can be booked via Speakers’ Spotlight. She charms and inspires audiences wherever she goes. She is also well connected, and we are exploring an ambitious list of blurbers.

PERDITA FELICIEN is an author, television host, sports broadcaster, two-time Olympian, ten-time National Champion and the first Canadian woman to win a World Championship gold medal in track and field. During her career as a 100-metre hurdler, she earned numerous honours, including Canada’s Athlete of the Year and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. Felicien retired from professional sports in 2013 and is now a broadcast journalist. She is a member of CBC’s broadcast team and has covered multiple international sporting events including the 2016 Summer and 2018 Winter Olympic Games, and was inducted into Athletics Canada’s Hall of Fame. My Mother’s Daughter is her first book.

Author Residence: Toronto, ON

Author Hometown: Pickering, ON

Advance Praise for My Mother’s Daughter

“A powerful and inspiring book.” —Deborah Dundas, Toronto Star

“Perdita Felicien takes on the ambitious feat of chronicling an intergenerational story of resilience and succeeds with unflinching clarity. Her controlled and poised prose details raw and often messy emotions with intelligence and compassion, while the fierce honesty with which she writes emphasizes the magnitude of maternal love and the bonds of family. A memoir with a commanding voice, My Mother’s Daughter is a love letter to mother-daughter relationships.” —Zalika Reid-Benta, Giller Prize-nominated author of Frying Plantain

“We are not defined by when we fall; rather, it’s the journey of where we come from that holds the deepest definition of self. Perdita Felicien is so much more than a champion athlete. This phenomenal, human story shows a Canada many people will never know, the power of a mother’s love for her daughter, and the indefatigable resilience in the face of so much struggle. I could not put this book down.” —Clara Hughes, six-time Olympic medalist and author of Open Heart, Open Mind

“A book about the most important team any of us plays on—our family—by one of the greatest athletes Canada has ever produced. Perdita Felicien reminds us that the accomplishments you see out on the track, field or rink are the result not just of talent and practice, but of someone’s love.” —Cathal Kelly, author of Boy Wonders ​
 
“Perdita Felicien first stole our hearts as a world champion, but now she takes us behind the scenes to the heartache of her tumultuous childhood and to the grit she needed to triumph over adversity. Her story is for everyone who dreams big. This book made me laugh and cry and cheer out loud. It’s a winner—like Perdita herself.” —Sally Armstrong, journalist